A national network of volunteer and self-help actors

1. Citizen Arena is an association, which promotes active citizenship and voluntary activity. It is a National Volunteer Centre for the Networking, Encouragement and Support of Volunteer Organizations, Self-Help Groups and Volunteer Centres

2. A national network of volunteer and self-help actors Voluntary work: self-help – peer support – active citizenship • Networking & strategic partnership • Information & multi expertises • Lobbying in favour of volunteering • Ideas & Innovations & Developing & Gathering of good practices • Strategic future work • Standards for volunteering qualification • Promotion of participation • Standards for volunteer centres • Volunteering infrastructure • The role of volunteering in society • Visibility of volunteers and citizens themselves • Visibility of reflexive volunteering

3. Values Sincerity and transparency Participation Solidarity and multi expertises: expertise based on citizens own experience equal with professional Horizontal cross sector networking Reciprocal action and hearing Strategic future work

4. Visio: Kansalaisareena 2015 Citizen Arena is a leading national volunteer and self-help support centre in Finland, known in national and international network as an information and developing Centre, who promotes participation, self-help and volunteer network over sectors (private, public, third) especially in Finland but also in Europe.

5. Services 2009-2010 • Networking: New strategic network and cooperation • Lobbying: Gathering of information to support lobbying in favour of volunteering and establishing the national infrastructure for self help and voluntary work • Imago work for volunteering: Communicational plan 2009-2011 • Projects: 9/2009–2/2010 “Networking over sectors (NGO, private and public)” and “The National Strategy of Volunteering 2010-2013”: RAY & Tekes • Expertises: National & International • Value-added services: Providing information, projects, consultative meeting, training and research expertise, networking seminars, publication, websites, project seminars, national register of clearing houses and volunteer centres, study visit, materials, network for coordinators, researchers and trainers on the volunteer and self-help sector

6. Addresses Kansalaisareena ry – The Citizen Arena Kumpulantie 1 A, 6. floor 00530 Helsinki, Finland, www.kansalaisareena.fi Board member Helena Palojärvi, + 358 40 5061220 helena.palojarvi (at) nic.fi Board member Irja Mikkonen, + 358 40 5512160 Irja.mikkonen(at)netsonic.fi Executive director Anitta Raitanen ,+358 50 442 0429 anitta.raitanen(at)kansalaisareena.fi Designer Jatta Vikström, +358 50 590 3322 jatta.vikstrom(at)kansalaisareena.fi

7. NOVAT –programme is a programme where the focus of the group is in self help group (which consists of women who have started the programme and group after they have listened to lectures and information organized by WomenTogether Against Addictions and decided to start in a group. The group is composed anyone who is interested in.She must accept 13 statements and workbooks and the group rules.

8. The group decides when it closes. But most groups get closed after the fourth meeting and then they go on 1 and half years as a NOVAT-group. The most important issues which the women work with Are in workbooks – feelings of guilt, anger a

9. Naistenkartano rf/ Women Together Against Addictions Three-years social marketing project called \"Välittäen\" has succeeded raising awareness about the preventive and treatment work of Naistenkartano(Women Together Against Addictions rf) among womenâ?" specially about the NOVAT- programme. Over 80 % of participators had heard about NOVAT-self help activities from media, then participated to lectures and started in self help group NOVAT Social marketing means planning and implementation of techniques designed to bring about behavioral changes using concepts from commercial marketing. We have done that in many wGys. We have offered possibilities to easily reach us forexample by internet and in fairs, using free of charge  and some chargeable commercial information  etc. and get women to think their problematic behaviour and gain them to start the programme and to be part of the NOVAT-peer-groups and give them sense of community and to change their behaviors. We have made our own project evaluation in different ways

10. Some of the results are: many new participators have started NOVAT-programme;  social marketing must serve the interests of the target group/audience: our product NOVAT-programme must fit to women´s life style and be taylor-made to them and give different kind of participatory possibilities.  In my lecture I will tell more what kind of techniques we have used and results the project has had to NOVAT-groups and women and to our work. The evaluation is practice- orientated self-evaluation.  That also raises some of the critical questions.

12. Over 80 % of participators had heard about NOVAT-self help activities from media, then participated to lectures and started in self help group NOVAT